Menu

Posts Tagged ‘Memoir’

Blackout to Blessing

The story of one woman’s journey out of darkness.

Beyond the lights and the camera, Melissa Huray spent her nights in darkness. Between seedy bars, lost time, and a painful quest for love, marriage, and a long-term relationship, she was spiraling—and no one ever knew. What started as an escape from her oppressive childhood had become an addiction that plagued and defined her. For fifteen years, she had hidden her dark, shameful secret, and when the cameras started rolling, she was always there, ready to deliver the news.

But all along, she knew something was missing, a truth she once knew was calling her back. She had first felt it as a teenager, when she felt invisible and forgotten in the cycle of addiction and superficiality that ruled her household. Melissa was lost in the shuffle of a distracted mother, alcoholic father, and spotless brother. Soon, panic attacks became all-consuming. The only way to feel better was to feel nothing at all, and remember even less.
But after fifteen years, the relief was fleeting, and she couldn’t stop.

After one staggering night, she was faced with the horrifying reality that her time was ticking. She knew something had to change, and fast. But how? Melissa then realized it wasn’t “what” could save her, but “Who.”

Author: Melissa Huray

Paperback: $17.95 (ISBN: 9780825309922)

Ebook: $9.99 (ISBN: 9780825308710)

BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs

300 pages

Order Here:

PRESS RELEASE: Illusions of Camelot

Tuesday, May 23rd, 2023

FROM BOYHOOD TO NUTCRACKER PRINCE: 

Peter Boal paints a star-studded picture of what it takes to make it as the Principal Dancer for the New York City Ballet and beyond

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, New York — Peter’s story starts in the pastoral and privileged town of Bedford, New York: a rare enclave 40 miles north of New York City where private schools, country clubs, and families hold their own rules and secrets. Within the town, views of race, morality, and sexuality are unspoken yet evident. Meanwhile, at home, Peter and his family are left to grapple with his father’s alcoholism and untimely death. As a young boy finding his way, Peter soon turns to ballet. Ultimately his passion becomes a beacon, leading him to work at the New York City Ballet as a teenager, living on his own while discovering the pitfalls and pleasures Manhattan has to offer.

Throughout Peter’s deeply personal work, you’ll step onto the club house floor during ballroom dancing lessons in Bedford, into the studios of the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, and onto the stage in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker as Peter performs the title role of the Nutcracker Prince. For all the laughter these stories offer, gravity is everywhere.

Peter’s journey takes us to the start of a storied career as a dancer with the New York City Ballet and leaves us with insights into the unique path of an artist and individual shaped by environment, circumstance, and family.

“A multi-functional memoir. It’s a generous, grateful account of discovering ballet as a career; and it’s about the discovery of friends, sexuality, values, and manners…In Boal’s writing, every word and every sentence matter. Subtle variations of tone take the reader, enchantingly, between charm, pain, and humour, often in the course of a paragraph.”

— Alastair Macaulay, 
New York Times, Chief Dance Critic 2007-2018

Illusions of Camelot

Peter Boal – May 2023

ISBN: 9780825309830

Hardcover: $24.95 || Ebook: $14.99

###

Beaufort Books is an independent publisher based in New York City. Beaufort publishes a mix of non-fiction and fiction titles, with about 15–20 new titles each year. Since 2007, we’ve published four New York Times bestsellers.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Emma St. John at emma@beaufortbooks.com.

Illusions of Camelot — Press ReleaseDownload

Illusions of Camelot

From the artistic director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet and former principal dancer for the New York City Ballet comes an unforgettable memoir about one artist’s journey from boyhood to ballet.

Peter’s story starts in the pastoral and privileged town of Bedford, New York: a rare enclave 40 miles north of New York City where private schools, country clubs, and families hold their own rules and secrets. Within the town, views of race, morality, and sexuality are unspoken yet evident. Meanwhile, at home, Peter and his family are left to grapple with his father’s alcoholism and untimely death. As a young boy finding his way, Peter soon turns to ballet. Ultimately his passion becomes a beacon, leading him to work at the New York City Ballet as a teenager, living on his own while discovering the pitfalls and pleasures Manhattan has to offer.

Throughout Peter’s deeply personal work, you’ll meet Hattie Lindsay, Peter’s caregiver, whose love for Peter matches her disdain for Henry, the family dog. You’ll step onto the club house floor during ballroom dancing lessons in Bedford, into the studios of the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, and onto the stage in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker as Peter performs the title role of the Nutcracker Prince. For all the laughter these stories offer, gravity is everywhere. Moments by Balanchine’s hospital bedside, or in the AIDS-ravaged ward at Columbia-Presbyterian hospital as a loved one’s life passes away are told with painful honesty and raw hurt.

Peter’s journey takes us to the start of a storied career as a dancer with the New York City Ballet and leaves us with insights into the unique path of an artist and individual shaped by environment, circumstance, and family.

Author: Peter Boal

Hardcover: $24.95 USD (ISBN: 9780825309830)

Ebook: $14.99 USD (ISBN: 9780825308628)

BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY/ Personal Memoirs

250 pages

Order Here:

PRESS RELEASE: Try Not to Hold It Against Me

Tuesday, January 31st, 2023

Producer’s Memoir Reveals Hollywood Secrets

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, New York — Whether you’re trying to break into the film industry, or if you simply have a passion or curiosity for Hollywood, veteran entertainment producer Julian Schlossberg provides a tell-all in his new memoir, Try Not to Hold It Against Me (Beaufort Books; Hardcover & digital; $26.95; on sale January 31st, 2023).

“A LOVE LETTER TO SHOW BUSINESS! Try Not to Hold It Against Me is a must-read written by one of the best & funniest in the industry. Truly a fascinating memoir that will captivate & delight any reader!”

— Susan Stroman, five-time Tony Award-winning Director & Choreographer

From his nearly 60 years in show business, Schlossberg takes us through stories of a lifetime — the trials and triumphs of work and play, in every avenue of the business: negotiating with Al Pacino, Burt Reynolds, and Lillian Hellman; hosting the syndicated radio and television production “Movie Talk;” restoring Orson Welles’ masterly film adaptation of “Othello;” partying with Barbra Streisand; testifying in a lawsuit against The Beatles; and interviewing over 120 of the most influential figures for his series “Witnesses to the 20th Century.”

Written with engaging humor and self-deprecation, Try Not to Hold It Against Me gives readers a behind-the-scenes pass to Hollywood and its secrets. It’s a compelling read for entertainment-enthusiasts alike — and a one-of-a-kind autobiography by one of entertainment’s true insiders.

###

Beaufort Books is an independent publisher based in New York City. Beaufort publishes a mix of non-fiction and fiction titles, with about 15–20 new titles each year. Since 2007, we’ve published four New York Times bestsellers.

For more information or to arrange an interview with Julian Schlossberg, please contact Emma St. John at emma@beaufortbooks.com

Try Not to Hold It Against Me – Press Release PDFDownload

TRY NOT TO HOLD IT AGAINST ME Book Trailer!

Thursday, November 10th, 2022
Coming soon!

Julian Schlossberg

JULIAN SCHLOSSBERG has produced more than 60 works in film, theater, and television. During his career, he has established himself as a producer’s representative for such prominent figures as Elia Kazan, John Cassavetes, Elaine May, and George C. Scott.

Schlossberg was born in New York City and began his career in television at the ABC network. He then went to the Walter Reade Organization, ultimately becoming Vice President and Head Film Buyer at the company’s theater division. While working as an executive, he began hosting Movie Talk, a nationally syndicated radio and television program where he interviewed hundreds of stars, including Jack Nicholson, Jane Fonda, and Bob Hope. He then worked as Vice President of Production at Paramount Pictures before leaving to found Castle Hill Productions, which became one of the world’s largest independent film-distribution companies. He sold Castle Hill after 30 years. 

Schlossberg is also the co-founder of Merlian News, an online magazine, and (with partner Danny Goldberg) Gold Castle Records. He is currently producing Witnesses to the 20th Century, a TV series examining the century’s major events through the experiences of its most prominent people. He lives in upstate New York with his wife, Merryn.

Try Not to Hold It Against Me

Try Not to Hold It Against Me

Veteran motion picture, television, and Broadway producer Julian Schlossberg grew up in New York City with an early love of entertainment. As a child, he was an avid fan of radio, film, and the new art of television, and harbored ambitions of meeting his favorite stars one day. Little did he know that in the course of his career, he would not only meet many of them, but also become their producer, representative, and friend.
 
During his nearly 60 years in show business, Schlossberg has worked as a producer, director, distributor, exhibitor, radio and television host, and record executive. At 27 he was the youngest head film buyer of a national theater chain; after working at the ABC network, the Walter Reade Organization, and Paramount Pictures, he would start his own motion-picture company, Castle Hill Productions, which would become one of the largest independent film-distribution companies in the world with a library of over 500 films. Not willing to restrict his efforts to film and television, he has also produced award-winning plays and musicals for Broadway and off-Broadway, working closely with brilliant writers and directors like Mike Nichols, Larry Gelbart, Susan Stroman, Woody Allen, and David Mamet.
 
Now, in his memoir Try Not to Hold It Against Me, Schlossberg shares stories from a lifetime in entertainment, from his childhood in the Bronx to his years as a producer for screen and stage. Schlossberg takes us through the trials and triumphs of work and play in every avenue of the business: negotiating with Al Pacino, Burt Reynolds, and Lillian Hellman; hosting the syndicated radio and television production Movie Talk, which introduced him to hundreds of stars; experiencing the paranormal with Shirley MacLaine and Betty Hill; running the Orson Welles estate and restoring Welles’ masterly film adaptation of Othello; partying with Barbra Streisand and Liza Minelli; testifying in a lawsuit against The Beatles; and interviewing over 120 of the most influential figures of the 20th century for his series Witnesses to the 20th Century.
 
Written with engaging humor and self-deprecation—and with a foreword by Academy Award winner Elaine May—Try Not to Hold It Against Me gives readers a behind-the-scenes pass to Cannes and Las Vegas, the lives and homes of the stars, and the rarely seen but crucial work of the producer in the midst of it all. It’s a compelling read for film, television, and theater enthusiasts alike—and a one-of-a-kind autobiography by one of entertainment’s true insiders.

About: Julian Schlossberg

Hardcover: $26.95 (ISBN: 9780825310256)

E-book: (ISBN: 9780825309007)

BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY/ Entertainment & Performing Arts

BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY/ Personal Memoirs

374 pages

Try Not to Hold It Against Me Press KitDownload

Order Here:

Anchored

HONORED AS A NOTABLE 100 BOOK IN THE 2021 SHELF UNBOUND BEST INDIE BOOK COMPETITION

Mort Crim has reported on major conflicts around the world for more than four decades and was a major inspiration for Will Ferrell’s performance in the movie Anchorman. Crim’s memoir takes readers behind the camera to show what life was like when the local anchorman was as revered as the professional athlete, and just as overpaid. It was a glamorous life, working alongside some of journalism’s legends: Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley, Dan Rather, and Ted Koppel.

The son of an evangelical minister in a conservative church, Crim suffered his first crisis of faith at the age of 15. Despite nagging questions, Crim eventually followed his father’s path into ministry. But the more he delved into the Bible, the more his faith was shaken. Unable to defend from the pulpit things he wasn’t sure of, Crim left the ministry for a career in journalism, determined to pursue truth.

After a four-year stint in the Air Force, he earned his master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University, and by the age of 30, had made it to New York—the epicenter of his profession. As a national correspondent for ABC, Crim anchored the network’s top-rated morning radio show and covered America’s newly-developing manned space program. When Neil Armstrong took that first step on the moon, it was Crim’s voice that described the historic event for millions around the world.

At the urging of Walter Cronkite, Crim moved from network radio into the heady world of television news. At KYW in Philadelphia, Mort Crim was paired with the late Jessica Savitch, and their anchor team spawned the idea for Will Ferrell’s Anchorman movies. Crim’s journey for truth will resonate with anyone raised in a cocoon of certainty that they felt compelled to question.

About: Mort Crim

Hardcover: $24.95 (ISBN: 9780825309441)

E-book $15.95 (ISBN: 9780825308246)

Personal Memoir

352 pages

Order Here:

Friends in High Places

Before the nation came to know them as the President and First Lady, Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham were close friends of Webb Hubbell. Now Hubbell offers insight into how he and the Clintons climbed the political ranks from Arkansas to the White House.

Included in this book are intricate tales of Hubbell’s support of Bill Clinton in his tensest moments; his friendship with Hillary Rodham Clinton; the tragic death of Vince Foster; details of involvement in Whitewater; and insights into famous personalities such
as Janet Reno, Mac McLarty, Bernie Nussbaum, Bruce Lindsey, Mickey Kantor, and George Stephanopoulos.

The story is told from the perspective of one who personally knows the President and First Lady. Their friendship began as partners at Little Rock’s Rose Law Firm. When Bill Clinton worked as Governor of Arkansas, Hubbell served with him as Mayor of Little Rock, and later as chief justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court. Hubbell joined the Clintons in the White House as associate attorney general, but his political career ended with the Whitewater scandal and incarceration in federal prison.

Why Hubbell committed the crimes he assumes responsibility for are detailed; a conflicted soul struggling with the cynical maelstrom of power and politics. Hubbell reflects on his resignation and prison sentence, and his old friends who have since isolated him from the White House.

His recounting resonates with the humanity in us all: the love he shares with his wife and family, the grief over losing friends to death or circumstances, and humility when faced with calamity. In the end, Hubbell faces the truth with a steadfastness seldom seen in Washington.

About: Webb Hubbell

Paperback: $19.95 (ISBN: 9780825307812)

E-book: $14.95 (ISBN: 9780825307089)

Memoir

342 pages

Order Here:

A Walk for Sunshine

Jeff Alt takes you along every step of his 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail adventure filled with humorous, frightening, and inspirational stories including, bears, bugs, blisters, skunk bed mates, and hilarious food cravings. As Alt walked through freezing temperatures, driving rain, and sunny skies, he was constantly buoyed by the knowledge that his walk was dedicated to his brother who has cerebral palsy. Alt’s adventure inspired an annual fundraiser which has raised over $400,000 for the Sunshine Home where his brother lives. As you walk along with Alt, you experience the success of turning dreams into goals and achieving them. Alt shares his life lessons from the trail with a focus on family, stewardship of the earth, and good health.

About: Jeff Alt

Paperback: $15.95 (ISBN: 9780825307768)

E-book: $9.95 (ISBN: 9780825307058)

Travel

303 pages

Order Here:

Four Boots One Journey

Beth Alt is a woman who prefers hotels, hot showers, and warm beds. But her husband, Jeff, persuades her to go out of her comfort zone and attempt a journey that even seasoned hikers find extremely difficult. Together they walk the entire John Muir Trail—over 218 miles of rugged remote mountain terrain traversing three national parks—in her brother’s memory as a depression awareness campaign. Their breathtaking scenic hike is riddled with adventure, humor, and inspiration. From the moment they set foot on the trail, the fast paced adventure begins with menacing bears, lightning bolts, a mountain rescue, the constant threat of cougars, food shortages, fascinating characters, and altitude sickness.

Four Boots One Journey is an entertaining adventure on
the John Muir Trail—and a story of what survival really means. The further they travel down the trail, the more Beth and Jeff discover things they never knew about each other—and with Jeff’s help, Beth becomes a true nomadic survivor. Not only does she complete the expedition, she discovers the joys of backpacking with her husband. They emerge from the trail with their marriage strengthened and their souls rejuvenated.

About: Jeff Alt

Paperback: $14.95 (ISBN: 9780825307362)

E-book: $7.99 (ISBN: 9780825306693)

Travel

192 pages

Order Here:

A Walk in the Clouds

A Walk in the Clouds: 50 Years Among the Mountains is a heartwarming, inspirational, and evocative collection of memories and short stories from Kev Reynolds, a prolific and celebrated guidebook author who has been roaming the mountains for a half-century. These recollections trail Reynolds’ journeys through some of his favorite and most memorable lessons learned on the mountains. The people met, experiences shared, and cultures bridged throughout Reynolds’ travels make for an engaging read for hikers and non-hikers alike.

Shadowing Reynolds across the Moroccan Atlas, the Pyrenees trails, the European Alps, and even the Himalayas gives the reader the feeling not only of hiking the trails, but also of forming the relationships and connections throughout the world that Reynolds was able to create. This book motivates the common reader to undertake something they have never done before because, as the reader learns from Reynolds, that is where some of the best experiences come from.

About: Kev Reynolds

Hardcover: $24.95 (ISBN: 9780825307324)

E-book: $16.95 (ISBN: 9780825306655)

Biography/Travel/Hiking

198 pages

Order Here:

Live From Mongolia

In 2006, author Patricia Sexton set out on a journey most of us have only ever fantasized about. She quit her job to pursue her dream. Thirty years old and a rising star at a Wall Street investment bank, Patricia wanted nothing more than to work as a foreign correspondent. So, that’s just what she did, moving to Mongolia after landing an internship at the country’s national TV station.

Live from Mongolia follows Patricia’s unlikely journey from Wall Street to Ulan Bator. And it doesn’t stop there. Not only does Patricia manage to get promoted to anchor of the Mongolian news, she also begins to meet some very unusual people following very unusual dreams of their own. There’s the Mongolian hip-hop star who worked in London restaurants to make his dream come true, the Italian textile executive who left everything behind to pursue his passion for mozzarella cheese, the German brewmaster plying his trade so lovingly that there were always tears in his eyes. And many more.

Live from Mongolia is the story of this ongoing journey – from a corporate career to a dream job, one that even Patricia hadn’t imagined she would land.

About: Patricia Sexton

Hardcover: $24.95 (ISBN:9780825306976)

Paperback: $14.95 (ISBN: 9780825307973)

Ebook: $4.99 (ISBN: 9780825306570)

Memoir/Inspirational

Pages: 300 (hardcover, e-book); 246 (paperback)

Order Here:

Called Again: A Story of Love and Triumph

In 2011, Jennifer Pharr Davis became the overall record holder on the Appalachian Trail. By hiking 2,181 miles in 46 days – an average of 47 miles per day – she became the first woman to ever set that mark. But this is not a book about records or numbers; this is a book about endurance and faith, and most of all love.

The most amazing part of this story is not found at the finish, but is discovered through the many challenges, lessons and relationships that present themselves along the trail. This is Jennifer’s story, in her own words, about how she started this journey with a love for hiking and more significantly a love for her husband Brew. Together, they were able to overcome rugged mountains and raging rivers, sleet storms and 100 degree heat, shin-splints and illnesses. They made new friends and tested old friendships; they shared together laughter, and tears – a lot of tears. But, through it all, they fell more in love with one another and with the wilderness.

By completing this extraordinary amateur feat, Jennifer rose above the culture of multi-million dollar sports contracts that is marked by shortcuts and steroids. This is the story of a real person doing something remarkable. Jennifer Pharr Davis is a modern role-model for women – and men. She is an authentic hero.

About: Jennifer Pharr Davis

Hardcover: $24.95 (ISBN: 9780825306938)

Paperback: $15.95 (ISBN: 9780825307454)

E-book: $9.95 (ISBN: 9780825306532)

Memoir/Autobiography

298 pages

Order Here:

The Knock at the Door

In this riveting book, first-time author Margaret Ajemian Ahnert relates her mother’s terrifying experiences as a young woman during the oft-overlooked Armenian genocide in Turkey at the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1915, Armenian Christians in Turkey were forced to convert to Islam, barred from speaking their language, and often driven out of their homes as the Turkish army embarked on a widespread campaign of intimidation and murder.

At age 15, Ahnert’s mother was separated from her foster family during a forced march away from her birth town of Amasia. She narrowly avoided kidnapping, faced unspeakable horrors at the hands of soldiers, and was forcibly married to an abusive Turkish wagon-driver. Throughout her ordeal, she reminded herself that “this, too, will pass,” a mantra which enabled her to survive these nightmarish experiences. Eventually, she escaped captivity and was able to make her way to America.

Ahnert’s moving account of her mother’s suffering is framed by an intimate portrait of her relationship with her 98-year old mother. The reader sits with Ahnert in the Armenian old age home as she cares for her mother and listens to the sometimes awful, occasionally funny, and always inspiring stories of her mother’s turbulent life during a terrible period in human history.

About: Margaret Ajemian Ahnert

Hardcover: $24.95 (ISBN: 9780825305122)

Paperback: $15.95 (ISBN: 9780825306839)

E-book: $14.99 (ISBN: 9780825305535)

Memoir/ Biography

240 pages

Order Here: